Cap remover having pivoted levers



Dec. 20, 1955 Filed Sept. 28. l953 Z/ W l D. WENDELKEN CAP REMOVERHAVING PIVOTED LEVERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l IIIIIIIIFIIIITI flg INVENTOR.

DIEDRICH WENDELKEIN ATTFR/VEY Dec. 20, 1955 D WENDELKEN 2,727,415

CAP REMOWR HAVING PIVOTED LEVERS' Filed Sept. 28. 1953 2 SheetsSheet 23% 36 II I ll F 7.5.

5 55 HI I I l l l I i ll J m {f K46 5/ I Fig 5. 64

INVENTOR.

DIEDRICH WENDE LKEN BY United States Patent O CAP REMOVER HAVINGPIVU'IEU LEVERS Diedrich WendelkemNew Yuri, N. Y.

Applicationseptember 2'8, I953, Serial; No. 382,713

2 Claims. (CL 81*346) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in openers for cans, jars, bottles and the like.

More particularly, the present invention proposes the construction of animproved opener which can be used to open a variety of containers andwhich will always present to the user the proper tool for opening theparticular container he desires to open.

Another object of the present invention proposes forming the openerdevice with a pair of pivotally connected levers with jar lid pryingarms at each end of one lever and with one of the arms and one end ofthe other lever forming coacting jaws for removal of screw tops andcaps.

Still further, the present invention proposes providing a lip or prongtype bottle opener on one of the pivotally connected levers andarranging the device so that the other lever can be pivoted to bearagainst the lip or prong to bias it toward its lever and to firmly gripa bottle cap therebetween.

As a further object, the present invention proposes arranging thepivotally connected levers so that one lever will lock the bottle openerprong or lip in the other lever in place against a bottle cap with thebottle cap firmly gripped between that prong or lip and the lever.

The present invention further proposes a novel arrangement of variouscontainer opener means on a single opener.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an opener constructed and arranged inaccordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 but showingthe parts in a different position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the device opening ascrew type bottle cap shown in dot-dash outline.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view of a bottle and bottle cap with asectional view of a portion of the opener shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3illustrating the locking action of the levers.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a modification ofthe present invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating a furthermodification of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

The opener, in accordance with the first form of the inventionillustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, consists of two levers or leverbars 15 and 16 pivotally connected together between their ends by apivot pin 17.

Lever 15 has a central portion 18 and bifurcated ends 19 and 2%) havingarms 21 and 22 and 23 and 24 respectively adapted to fit partiallyaround and under a lid for prying action. Arms 23 and 24 at end 20 oflever 15 "ice are spaced" apart more than arms 21 and 22 at end 19 ofthe lever for removing lids from jars having mouths of larger diameter.

End 20' of lever 15 has an outwardly inclined prong 2'5 disposed betweenits arms 23 and 24. A second outwardly inclined prong26 is disposedadjacent to, spaced from, and in alignment with the prong 25'.Preferably both prongs 25. and'26 are pressed from the material of thelever bar 15' itself so that the lever 15 may be stamped from sheetmetal.

Prong 26 has a tip or. tip portion 27 bent substantially parallel'to thelever 15 and pointed toward end 20 of the lever. Prong 26 is disposedwith relation to prong 25 so as to coact with it and serve as a bottlecap opener (see Fig. 4). Prong 26 also has a locking notch 23 as laterwill be more fully described.

Arm 22 of end 19 of lever 15 has a curved jaw forming outer edge 29adjacent the central portion 18 of the lever. This jaw forming edge 29has a roughened surface which may be a serrated, scored or knurled one.

Lever 16, the lever without the bifurcated ends, has a curved jawforming inner edge 30 at its end 31 which is disposed opposite the jawforming outer edge 29 on lever 15 to form a pair of pliers for removingscrew caps (see Fig. 3), the ends 20 of lever 15 and 32 of lever 16forming the handle of the pliers.

Lever 16 is positioned on lever 15 so as to bear against the secondprong 26 of lever 15 and bias the prong inwardly so that the tip portion27 moves toward the lever 15. Thus in removing a bottle cap, by movingthe ends 19 and 31 of levers 15 and 16 together the tip portion 27 ofthe prong 26 may be pressed firmly beneath the edge of a bottle cap andheld there to prevent any slipping in the attempt to pry off the cap.

The locking notch 23 in prong 26 on lever 15 is disposed to receive andseat the lever 16 after it has biased the prong 26 inwardly. Thus lever16 will lock the prong 26 in this position.

Lever 16 has a bottle opener notch 33 in one side edge of its end 32 sothat bottle caps best opened by this type opener may be removed.

The modification of the opener of the present invention illustrated byFigs. 5 and 6 is characterized by the provision of a single straight barlever 34 having bifurcated ends 35 and 36 with arms 37 and 38 and 39 and40, respectively. The arms 35 and 36 are adapted to fit partially aroundand under a lid for prying action and arms 37 and 38 are adaptedsimilarly to fit around and under larger lids for a like purpose, thearms 37 and 38 being spaced further apart than arms 39 and 40.

Adjacent end 35 is an outwardly inclined prong 41 and a smaller prong 42outwardly inclined is disposed adjacent to, spaced from and aligned withprong 41 to coact with it and serve as a bottle cap opener. The smallerprong 42 has a tip portion 43 bent substantially parallel to the leverbar.

The modification of the opener of the invention illustrated in Figs. 7and 8 is characterized by the provision of a lever bar 44 having abifurcated end 45 with arms 46 and 47 spaced apart to fit partiallyaround and under jar lids for prying them from jars. Lever bar 44 has onits other end 48 a pointed tip 49 outwardly bent for puncturing canssuch as orange juice and the like. Adjacent this pointed tip 49 is anoutwardly bent prong 50 with a tip portion 51 bent substantiallyparallel to the lever bar. The prong Si is disposed adjacent pointed tip49 for grasping the rim of a can. A second outwardly inclined prong 52is provided adjacent the bifurcated end 45 and a smaller outwardlyinclined prong 53 is disposed adjacent to prong 52 spaced from andaligned with it. The smaller prong 53 has a tip portion 54 bentsubstantially parallel to the lever bar.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the inventiondefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is: 1. An opener comprising twolevers pivotally connected together between their ends, one of saidlevers having an outwardly inclined prong centrally disposedtherebetween and a second outwardly inclined prong with a tip portionbent substantially parallel with said lever,

said second prong being aligned in spaced relation with the other prongto coact with it to serve as a cap opener, said second prong having alocking notch therein whereby I 4 i I said other lever bears againstsaid second prong to bias it inwardly and to seat in said locking notchto locktthe prong in such position. .t

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first prong has a downwardlybent tip portion to seat across the top of a cap and hold it in positionwhile being opened.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

